Category: Stories of Others

“I just love dogs-how could you not?” said Ultan Connolly during a late Summer afternoon stroll with one of his clients.

Bonnie, a black Labrador, vigorously wags her tail in agreement and proceeds to lead the way through a sun streaked path in a woods just south of Boston. Ultan leans in, whispers a command and Bonnie immediately sits appearing to revel in the attention of the 48-year old Dedham resident whose speech reflects more than a hint of his native Galway.

Although Bonnie is not Ultan’s dog, he treats the 7- year old pooch as if she were part of his own family.

The affection, clearly genuine, is unabashedly reciprocated by his canine companion in the form of licks, jumps and more wagging.

“Not a bad day at the office,” he says with a smile against the bucolic backdrop.

NO PAIN, NO SPAIN

“You can have excuses or results but you can’t have both,” said Kevin Hennessey, President of BRABO Payroll on a brilliant October morning in his downtown Plymouth, Massachusetts office.

Roaming seagulls and a gentle surf can be heard from the beach a block south in what was likely the final nod toward a fading Indian Summer.

Kevin flashes a wide smile and bounds about the bright two-story Court Street headquarters brimming with an enthusiasm borne from realized ambition.

Two years ago, Kevin created Brabo Payroll, a full-service comprehensive payroll and human resources firm that provides payroll solutions to businesses throughout southeastern New England.

Since its inception, Brabo has experienced robust growth and is positioned to expand in the near term. Powered by the most secure, and comprehensive software in the industry, Brabo is considered an elite firm.

In this series, Strength in Numbers, I interview humans of different ages and stages of life to learn how it feels to be in their shoes. Today we meet Devyn. Devyn is no stranger to the digital world. The 18-year-old Call of Duty enthusiast spends hours on his computer playing video games, talking to friends, …

Rain pelts the windshield of my Subaru as Brian and I drive by cow after cow en route to driving school. We will be stuck together in this car for a total of four hours this week winding along these same streets. Not so much "stuck", I volunteered to drive Brian to class after he …

My 47-year-old ma Beth sat for her first tattoo today. We went to Lucky's Tattoo in Northampton, Mass to see an artist who has tattooed me twice before. I'll toss a link to his Instagram here so you can see the work he did on me seven months ago. Word of caution, NSFW. "I feel …

I have this little series I am working on called Strength in Numbers. In this series, I ask humans at different ages and stages of life to answer a set list of questions. As I've plugged away at this series, I've thought a little about what my answers would be as a 21-year-old in this …

I am a half hour late to my meeting when I stumble out of my car into the Dunkin Donuts parking lot, cursing. The sky has unleashed a torrential downpour over most of Massachusetts. A harsh beep from my phone alerts me to a severe flood watch, but the washed out bridge down the road …